Tainted cricketer Salim Malik keen to coach Pakistan

Salim-Malik
Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik keen to coach the national cricket team. Image Source: nation.com.pk

Internet Desk: Pakistan’s tainted former captain Salim Malik, who was banned for life for match-fixing, said he was keen to apply for the position of head coach of the national cricket team.

The former Pakistan captain is yet to get his ban officially lifted by the Pakistan Cricket Board even though a court declared the ban imposed on him in 2000 as illegal.

The ban was recommended on Malik by the Justice Malik Qayyum inquiry commission which probed into allegations of match-fixing in the Pakistan team.

“I have not been allowed to get involved in any cricket despite the court orders. I was keen to apply for the post of head coach but have changed my mind now,” the former batsman told PTI.

“I get a feeling the PCB is more interested in appointing a foreign coach so it is no use wasting my energy. But I still want to come forward and work in club and domestic cricket,” Malik said.

He said the PCB had experimented before with foreign coaches and it was not successful.

“The primary reason for this is communication and language problems and there is also a cultural barrier between our players and a foreign coach who can’t understand our cricket culture,” he added.

Malik said he saw the role of a coach more as a mentor, someone who the players looked up to rather than from any technical aspect.

Malik, 53, played 103 Tests and 283 one-day internationals before he was banned from all cricket.

He also backed the appointment of former Test captain Inzamam-ul-Haq as chief selector.

“Knowing Inzamam he will want to work independently as a chief selector and will not take dictation from the board officials as has happened in the past,” he noted.

“In recent times Pakistan squads have been altered many times on the interference and insistence of board officials and because the chief selector was weak he took no stand.”

Malik advised Inzamam to not consult too many people while finalising squads and do what he felt was best for Pakistan cricket.

“The involvement of too many people leads to confusion and everyone has his own interests and angle.”